SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report: September 16, 1999
MEDIMMUNE, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Commission File Number: 0-19131
Delaware 52-1555759
(State of Incorporation) (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
35 West Watkins Mill Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878
(Address of principal executive office (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code (301) 417-0770
No Exhibits are being filed with this report
CytoGam and RespiGam are registered trademarks of the Company and Synagis is a
trademark.
<PAGE>
MEDIMMUNE, INC.
Current Report on Form 8-K
ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS
MedImmune, Inc. reported the information contained in the following press
release dated September 15, 1999:
MEDIMMUNE LICENSES CATALYTIC ANTIBODY TO TREAT
COCAINE OVERDOSE AND ADDICTION
Gaithersburg, MD, September 15, 1999 -- MedImmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDI) today
announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement and a
research collaboration with Columbia University to develop and commercialize a
catalytic antibody against cocaine to treat overdose and addiction. Under the
terms of the agreements, MedImmune will be responsible for worldwide research,
clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization of any product
resulting from the collaboration. MedImmune will pay a one-time license fee to
Columbia, and will make milestone and royalty payments based on clinical
development progress and sales of resulting products. Ixsys, Inc. will optimize
the primary product candidate as part of the four-product antibody alliance the
company entered into with MedImmune in February 1999.
"The challenge of treating cocaine addiction with specific antibodies is to
maintain a circulating therapeutic level of the antibody as the cocaine target
is depleted," commented Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President of
Research at MedImmune. "We believe that catalytic antibodies, which both bind
and degrade the target, and free the antibody to bind to additional cocaine
molecules, may provide the solution to that problem. A product with these
characteristics may prove to be a possible option to treat cocaine overdoses or
as an aid to breaking cocaine addiction."
Cocaine specifically blocks the reuptake of several neurotransmitters in the
brain including dopamine, which is associated with emotional response, movement
and the ability to experience pleasure. The drug binds to dopamine receptors in
the brain, which blocks reabsorption and increases both the amount of dopamine
and the number of receptors in the brain. This artificially induced increase in
levels of dopamine causes increased activation in the brain's pleasure center,
causing euphoria. Addiction occurs with continued use of cocaine, as the brain
can no longer respond to natural reward stimulation and is forced to rely on the
drug to maintain the artificial high. At the extremely high concentrations seen
in drug overdose, the drug binds to multiple receptors in the nervous system and
the cardiovascular system, possibly causing arrhythmia and sudden death. MAb
15A10, a catalytic antibody, has been shown to bind, cleave and release the
degraded cocaine in vitro, thus freeing itself for further cocaine binding.
Additionally, the antibody has been shown to block the reinforcing effects of
cocaine and provide protection from cocaine-induced seizures and sudden death in
animal models.
"Our work to date with 15A10 has demonstrated the antibody's ability to catalyze
free cocaine in an animal model," added Donald W. Landry, M.D., Associate
Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental
Therapeutics at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Department of Medicine. "We believe that this new collaboration with MedImmune
will allow both parties to further develop this antibody as possible therapy for
recovering addicts or as treatment for cocaine overdose. Cocaine abuse is a
serious problem, both in the U.S. and abroad, and we are excited about the
opportunity to collaborate with MedImmune to address this issue." <PAGE>
Since 1980, over 40,000,000 Americans have used cocaine or crack, the street
name given to cocaine processed to a free base for smoking. An estimated 2
million people are addicted to cocaine, and there are over four million
estimated regular users of the drug. Cocaine overdose is the most frequent cause
of addiction related emergency room admissions in the U.S. and Europe, with
approximately 150,000 and 100,000 admissions, respectively, in 1998. A 1998
survey funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that the rate of
current cocaine use in 1996 was highest in the 18 to 25 age group (2.0 percent).
The rate of use for this age group was significantly higher in 1996 than in
1995, when it was 1.3 percent. The same survey found that the proportion of
high-school seniors who have used cocaine at least once in their lifetimes has
increased from a low of 5.9 percent in 1994 to 8.7 percent in 1997. The
Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy, addressing the potential cost
benefit of treatment, recently reported that approximately seven dollars is
saved in medical and societal costs for every dollar spent on treatment of
addiction. Current treatment options for cocaine addiction are limited and
include treatment medications and behavioral interventions, including cognitive
behavioral therapy.
MedImmune, located in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is a biotechnology company focused
on developing and marketing products that address medical needs in areas such as
infectious disease, transplantation medicine, autoimmune disorders and cancer.
MedImmune markets three products through its hospital-based sales force and has
five new product candidates in clinical trials.
This announcement may contain, in addition to historical information, certain
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements
reflect management's current views and are based on certain assumptions. Actual
results could differ materially from those currently anticipated as a result of
a number of factors, including risks and uncertainties discussed in the
Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
MEDIMMUNE, INC.
----------------
(Registrant)
September 16, 1999 /s/David M. Mott
David M. Mott
Vice Chairman and
Chief Financial Officer
